Exact parallel waves in general relativity

Authors

Cian Roche, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Amir Babak Aazami, Clark UniversityFollow
Carla Cederbaum, Eberhard-Karls-Universitat Tubingen

Document Type

Article

Abstract

We conduct a review of the basic definitions and the principal results in the study of wavelike spacetimes, that is spacetimes whose metric models massless radiation moving at the speed of light, focusing in particular on those geometries with parallel rays. In particular, we motivate and connect their various definitions, outline their coordinate descriptions and present some classical results in their study in a language more accessible to modern readers, including the existence of “null coordinates” and the construction of Penrose limits. We also present a thorough summary of recent work on causality in pp-waves, and describe progress in addressing an open question in the field—the Ehlers–Kundt conjecture. © 2023, The Author(s).

Publication Title

General Relativity and Gravitation

Publication Date

2-2023

Volume

55

Issue

2

First Page

Article 40

ISSN

0001-7701

DOI

10.1007/s10714-023-03083-x

Keywords

Ehlers–Kundt conjecture, Plane waves, pp waves

Repository Citation

Roche, Cian; Aazami, Amir Babak; and Cederbaum, Carla, "Exact parallel waves in general relativity" (2023). Mathematics. 3.
https://commons.clarku.edu/mathematics/3

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.